Canon EOS-1D Mark III review

[ppolgar]

I purchased this camera with much reservation. However to my amazement, my reservation quickly vanished when I began to process the images from the 1D Mark 3. The image quality is simply superb. Don’t let the pixel count fool you. I printed 13x19’s that rival and even surpass the printouts from my previous system, the Canon 1Ds Mark 2. Low noise is on par with my Nikon D3… at least up to ISO 3200 and yes… I shoot both systems. Also… based on a per-pixel basis, I find that the images from the 1D, slightly sharper then my D3. This surprised given all the hype about the Nikon D3’s level of detail in its image quality. Don’t get me wrong, I think the D3 is an amazing camera in it’s own right. Dynamic range and colors are also very pleasing with the Canon. If you want to be totally blown away by the performance level of the 1D Mark 3 then attach a Canon 85L f1/2 to the system. No doubt, it’s a very expensive lens but I was completely wowed by this set-up. I am not experiencing any of the auto focus problems that were apparently an issue with this model. Unfortunately, all the talk about the auto-focus issues are over-shadowed this amazing camera. In my experience, my 1D out performs my Nikon D3 in terms of auto-focus tracking in low light situations. If the opportunity arises on a good deal on the Canon 1D Mark 3, grab it… you won’t be disappointed. I paid 3200.00 for a like-new unit with a 2-year warranty.

Problems:

Yes, individuals such as pirinchov and justahack who post negative ratings on this camera without making any qualifications. I suspect that they never even handled this camera. I really question whether many of these individuals who rate camera systems in such a manner are even photographers.